MILSPEC
by Hurgusburgus
Summary: Some of the most advanced defense technology in the world only exists inside a robotic senior high-school student in Ohio. The Department of Defense investigates. Never has bureaucratic drivel been so exciting! (too embarrassed to actually finish this. here's what I had when I stopped.)
1. Chapter 1

August 8th, 2039

U.S. Department Of Defense

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Arlington, Virginia

 **HUMAN/ELECTRONIC ASSAULT TEAM INITIATIVE**

 **Combat Utility Appraisal:**

 **Artificial, Generally Intelligent Android With Integrated Assault Weaponry (AGIA/IAW)**

" **XJ9" Prototype**

 **Report Compiled By Dr. Jonathan Abel, Dr. Ben Nakamoto And Lt. Col. Devon Strickland, Including Information Supplied By Dr. Nora Wakeman**

 **Summary**

The model XJ9 prototype android is the most unique design evaluated thus-far by DARPA during the HEAT project. As opposed to efforts from Raytheon, Lockheed-Martin, and other expected participants in experimental military trials, the XJ9 design does not come from any established design team or military contractor. The architect of the XJ9 system is Dr. Nora Wakeman, a former government researcher, who was most gracious in providing the material for this report and allowing us to evaluate the only existing XJ9 unit. The route taken by Dr. Wakeman in order to create XJ9 recycles many existing technologies in unique ways, and the XJ9 design could be easily mass-produced using existing equipment. However the XJ9 design requires a high degree of preparation for combat after production of a new unit, as very little of the XJ9 main program specifically defines behaviors, and creating a duplicate of a "trained" XJ9 presents serious complications. Dr. Wakeman aimed to create a reproduction of human cognition, which is a double-edged sword when viewed from a military perspective. The existing XJ9 unit has a tremendous aptitude at analysing a complicated battlefield and giving an accurate SITREP, handily besting other hand-programmed prototypes. However, this unit also displays the same faults a human generally would in a similar situation. The conclusion this report reaches is that while XJ9 would not be suitable to create whole android infantry divisions, for many reasons the XJ9 design is ideal for the HEAT concept, due to the similarities XJ9 shares with the human soldiers that the HEAT program will place androids alongside.

 **Table Of Contents:**

 **1\. Squad Cohesiveness Trials**

 **2\. Information Processing Trials**

 **3\. Integrated Assault Weaponry Trials**

 **4\. Simulated Combat Trials**

 **5\. Theory Of Operation**

 **6\. Conclusion**


	2. Chapter 2

**Squad Cohesiveness Trials**

This set of trials was modified and expanded to accurately display XJ9's mental acuity. Trials in this category for other combat robots involve the ability to respond to the commands of a superior officer or the warnings of a comrade in arms. The trials were deemed to be too simple, in fact, for the XJ9 prototype. Below are several portions of transcripts from the early, unchanged tests. Involved in these early tests was Corporal Jackson T. Culver of the 101st Airborne. Also present is Dr. Nora Wakeman. Any references to "Jenny" refer to the prototype, that name being, reportedly, self-chosen by the XJ9 unit. Almost all enlisted personnel the prototype was introduced to would gladly use that name.

This first test concerned navigation.

 **Cpl. Culver:** Jenny, move to the orange "X" please.

(The prototype looked at the Corporal instead.)

 **XJ9:** Is this the entire test?

 **Cpl. Culver:** Yes ma'am, this is the only challenge in the first test.

 **XJ9:** (to Dr. Wakeman) Mom, did you really drag me all the way to Virginia just to stand on an X?

 **Dr. Wakeman:** No, I promise, there will be more to do today than stand on an X.

(The prototype at this point seemed to act exasperated, mimicking sighing)

 **Dr. Wakeman:** XJ9, please show the Corporal that I can program well enough to get you to stand on a bright neon target.

(The unit walks over to the target, standing perfectly in the center of the X)

 **XJ9:** Look, I did it. Wow. Am I in the Army yet?

The second test involved following a superior officer along a path. In this case, the officer was Lieutenant Steven Iger, also from the 101st. The objective was to complete a simple forest hike.

 **Lt. Iger:** The task today is to follow the forest path to a clearing 3 klicks north of here. Stay on the path, stay with me. Oh, sorry, klicks means-

 **XJ9:** Kilometers.

 **Lt. Iger:** Oh, well nevermind then. How'd you know that, by the way?

 **XJ9:** I can Google any word I don't know in several microseconds.

(The prototype smiled, looking proud.)

 **Dr. Wakeman:** She tends to have to do that in English class quite often, by the way.

 **XJ9:** Shh, Mom…

During the actual hike, XJ9 successfully navigated the path to the end, never straying very significantly from the Lieutenant. Several times, however, the prototype would move slightly too far ahead to look at some flora or fauna of interest and have to be called back. Of course, by this time it was apparent that these behaviors were the fault of the unit not having military training rather than poor design. The XJ9 unit also struck up a conversation with the Lieutenant, asking many questions about his experiences, training, and also making comparisons to the unit's own previous experiences in the field of disaster response. In Lieutenant Iger's own report, he stated:

"Jenny, as she prefers to be called, showed a deep curiosity in my previous military service. I'd relay stories from my basic training and she'd laugh, and, most significant of all, she reacted with sympathy when I told her about my first experience in a firefight. Jenny then told me an account of her efforts to stop a dam collapse, which involved serious risk to her continued operation, but she seemed to not care about that fact, saying that what I had gone through was far more terrifying. My only real complaint about Jenny is that if she is to continue performing military trials, a tank top and miniskirt are completely inappropriate, especially if you plan on testing her air mobility. I recommend fitting Jenny with a standard-issue BDU immediately."

After this report was filed, XJ9 was fitted with a modified Army pilot's flight suit, with specially-cut pant legs to accommodate the thruster assemblies that create the distinctive "platform boot" shape. This report, more importantly, also caused us to suspend the originally planned obedience tests, as they were rendered irrelevant due to the XJ9 system's extraordinary understanding of natural language. Instead, the DARPA evaluation team decided to allow the prototype to both attend Army Officer Training classes for a period of two weeks, and to be given clearance to access barracks at nearby Army and Marine Corps bases. This was on the condition that the evaluation team was to be given complete video logs of her time spent on military and government grounds, and be supplied with regularly logged and timestamped information concerning CPU performance and power usage. After some negotiation with the prototype, Dr. Wakeman gave us her approval to take custody of XJ9 temporarily.

Placing XJ9 in Officer Training was not part of the evaluation proper, but rather to prepare the prototype for further testing. However, the experience did help illustrate the possibility of training new XJ9 units militarily. When the purpose of the training was made clear, XJ9 paid careful attention to all material presented, and by the end of the two week period was well-versed in the terminology used by other soldiers. Complicated requests, such as "locate the nearest ideal defilade from a machine gun emplacement inside that bunker," were understood and XJ9 would be able to describe the safest path to good cover in the training environment. However, the prototype seemed intimidated by the Army's rigid structure and would rarely speak unless called upon, leading to concerns about further testing within the military sphere. The prototype is used to operating in a suburban Ohio area, and despite previous law enforcement and crisis response activities, the prototype unfortunately displays the same insecurities as a typical female young adult.

One place where the XJ9 system truly excelled was interaction with enlisted troops and NCOs. Testing actual cohesion between human soldiers and the trial androids was not even considered before XJ9 was submitted for testing, but the possibilities raised by the features possessed by XJ9 were quickly understood by us at DARPA. After the period at Officer Training was done, the prototype was given regular tours of various Army and Marine installations across Virginia, particularly MCB Quantico and Fort A. P. Hill. The prototype was encouraged to wander the mess hall and other off-duty gathering places, and various conversations with enlisted men and women were recorded. Once again, the name Jenny was always used. Here are several partial transcripts of particular interest:

(with a female Private from the 1st Air Cavalry)

 **Pvt:**...I mean, I'm just wondering, why are you built that way?

 **XJ9:** Built how?

 **Pvt:** You've got two arms, two legs, a face, and the robots we have around here are just, like, forklifts, or little boxes on wheels with arms. Also you're a _woman._

 **XJ9:** Why can't I be a woman? Like, you're a woman, I don't think there's any problems there…

 **Pvt:** Well, no, no that's not what I mean, I guess the question there is, who needs you to be a woman? You said you're not from the military? Who's building you?

 **XJ9:** Whenever I ask my Mom about why I'm a girl I can never get a straight answer.

 **Pvt:** You've got a mother?

 **XJ9:** Yeah. I know it's not normally how it works, but she made me and... I guess that's good enough?

 **Pvt:** Thank _God_ you have a mother then. If it turned out you were engineered by a bunch of manchildren in some lab somewhere I'd have filed a complaint.

 **XJ9** : Complaint to who?

 **Pvt:** Oh man, either DARPA or Child Protective Services.

(At MCB Quantico. Three Marines from the 2nd Marine Division are on the practice range.)


End file.
